Some Quick Spring Training Thoughts

A few quick thoughts:

I’m glad to see Nomar retire making peace with Boston. Before his wrist injury, he was the greatest contact hitter of his generation. Ted Williams thought Nomar was the most likely to ever challenge his .406 average. He won’t make the Hall of Fame, but he could have. .

I’m sad for Twins fans–Nathan is one of the under-rated players in all of baseball

I’m conflicted over the idea of league realignment. I need to read and think more about it, certainly. But here’s my gut: baseball has to do something to address both the radical salary discrepancies across the league and the absolute unfairness the Orioles, Rays, and Jays face playing in the AL East. The ESPN-ification of sports fundamentally changes the competitive landscape. I’m not saying there has to be a regimented salary cap, but they have to do more to make sure that the Yankees corner infielders don’t make more money that 6 teams in the league. Really, there’s only one team in baseball that shatters the “relative” ceiling–the problem is more with the floor. Baseball needs a minimum salary, and a way of ensuring that all teams can meet the floor.